Linocuts

Java Republic

I was commissioned to create an illustration that charts how Java Republic's coffee makes its way over land and sea, from the hillsides where the beans grow to the roastery in Ireland, and from there to the consumer. The image became a central part of the branding, appearing on packaging, cups, vehicle livery and online.

Design by Image Now.

Bowie Pinups

Posters for Bowie Pinups show, January 2017. Young Americans and Life On Mars?

Korean Film Festival

I had to show a lot of different films in one poster, so I took this route: everyone featured, integrated into the design.

A Dangerous Crossing

I was asked to illustrate the cover of an amazing book about Syria, the story of a young boy trying to escape from the war there. The jaggedness of the lino seemed right to echo the bleakness of the story. The smoke continues to the back cover, turning into plants, flowers, life regrowing.

Etchings

These are all hard ground etchings. A thin layer of hard wax is laid down on a sheet of copper and the drawing is made with the fine tip of a metal scribe. The plate is then etched in a solution of ferric chloride, which bites into the copper lines exposed by the scribe. This leaves very fine channels in the copper which are then inked up, wiped back, and printed.

Little Green Cars

I was asked to illustrate the debut album from Little Green Cars. We decided on a realistic, detailed drawn approach, but with a bare, pastel simplicity to them. It's always a privilege to have your art used to represent someone's music. The images can become an integral part of the way people process the music, becoming the visual reference point to how someone may "picture" the songs.

Historical Illustration

Most of these were commissioned for the Wexford Way in Ireland, an historical trail of early Norman buildings and settlements. I really enjoyed bringing the history to life, the gnarled labourers and the now-ruined churches and windmills. Also featured is work for Duncannon Fort in Waterford and Dublinia in Dublin.

Le Cool

A couple of covers I did for the online events guide Le Cool.

Rabbit Island Gin

Rabbit Island Gin (now Wild Burrow) for Greenhouse Design.

Bewleys Tea

Two Bewleys tea packs. A suite of Dublin-themed illustrations for use on Green Sencha tea, and a nautical-themed one for Earl Grey tea. Design by RichardsDee.

Screaming Banshee

We went through many style ideas on the way to making the banshee here: first innocent and cartoony, then full-on scary, then a simple but dramatic linocut profile of our shrieking lady.

Sive

Lucy Annabella Organics

Flying Pig Ham

The Butlers Pantry

Packaging illustrations for a series of ready meals from the Butlers Pantry.

World trip sketches

In 2005 I made a solo trip around the world, a journey of ten months that began in Moscow and the Trans-Siberian railway, and took in dozens of countries and hundreds of encounters with people along the way. I tried to draw as many people as I could. Check out the sketchbook video on my home page for more.

Sean of the Dead

The Lighthouse cinema in Dublin was hosting a season of Edgar Wright's films and commissioned a series of posters from various artists of his films through the years.

Monoprints

A series of monoprints. The technique involves rolling out a thin layer of ink on a sheet of perspex, then removing it with a rag or fine implement to make the drawing. Drawing in negative. The remaining ink is then passed through the press to create the monoprint.

Portraits

Slater Christmas Posters

Guinness beermats

Guinness were looking to produce a large suite of beermats (or dripmats as they would have us say) for each of the iconic pubs around Dublin and Ireland generally. Each pub would have its portrait painted and featured on a special beermat unique to that pub. I spent several months painting around 33 pub fronts in watercolour.

Videos

Here's some videos to waste your time away with. With which to waste your time away. Oh just watch them for god's sake.